The spectre of its past now haunts Punjab

Four decades ago, in April 1983, the then deputy director general of Punjab police, AS Atwal was murdered at the same spot. His body lay unattended for hours on the steps of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Those were the days when pro-Khalistan extremism was at its peak.

However, what does the attack on Badal indicate? Is terrorism rearing its ugly head in Punjab once again? Absolutely not. A return to those bloody days looks quite unlikely. Still, the attack on Badal and the changing mood and secessionist voices indicate efforts to revive a buried past.

Self-styled preacher and now Member of Parliament Amritpal Singh Sandhu’s sudden arrival from Dubai to lead a pro-Khalistan separatist campaign in the garb of religious concerns was the beginning of the conspiracy. He knew there were still many people who nurtured anger and grudges after the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi. These people may have grown old, but their bitterness hasn’t gone away. Badal’s assailant Narayan Singh Chaura is one such person. Chaura is one of those who took up the baton of the separatist movement after Operation Bluestar.

The most distressing trend in a sensitive state like Punjab is that the people from a forgotten era are making successful political comebacks. Pro-Khalistan politician Simranjit Singh Mann electoral victory in 2022 and Amritpal’s win in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections should ring alarm bells. Now they have a constitutional right to put forth their views in Parliament.

How did this happen? To get to the bottom of this phenomenon, we need to understand the paramount position of religion in Punjab’s politics and society. Sikhs account for 57.69% of the state’s population and Hindus 38.49%. There is no open or hidden enmity between these two large communities in the state. Still, some elements try to foment divides between the two.

There is a group that has been advocating with the Sikh community that if a separate country (Pakistan) is created for the Muslims, then they too deserve to have a separate homeland. During the 1970s, these sentiments gained currency. Indira Gandhi failed to fathom the inherent gravity of the situation in time. It resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, including herself. I hope today’s politicians don’t make the same mistakes.

We shouldn’t forget that Punjab’s politics has some unique complexities. Every politician in the state needs to maintain a fine balance between religion, society, politics, and national integrity. Former chief minister (CM), the late Parkash Singh Badal, was a master of this game. He knew very well when to label someone a traitor, when to declare him a nationalist, and how to manage the Sikh clergy. The long association of SAD, the party he headed, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) provided added strength to his credentials. The compact between the two helped to maintain a Hindu-Sikh alliance while assuaging the religious feelings of both communities. Even the hotheads among the Sikh community were convinced that till Parkash Singh Badal was in the saddle, their interests would be protected.

However, it is said that every general confronts his Waterloo. For Parkash Singh Badal, it was nepotism. He made the cardinal mistake of promoting family over the party. His son was deputy CM when he was the CM of Punjab, and his daughter-in-law was a Union minister. This led to dissensions within his party. Other leaders realised that they had no future till the Badals were in power. They started airing views that emboldened extremist elements in Punjab.

The Congress, on the other hand, lost ground due to their internal weaknesses. Party stalwarts like Beant Singh and Amarinder Singh (who is now with the BJP) had maintained the fine balance that Parkash Singh Badal so astutely forged. But their decline and the breakup of the Akali-BJP alliance have wreaked havoc in the Punjabi society. These national parties were critical in maintaining a semblance of order in the state’s political atmosphere.

Sukhbir Singh Badal is responsible for the present state of SAD. Parkash Singh Badal went to jail to protect Sikh pride while his son Sukhbir was behind bars on charges of corruption. Parkash Singh Badal’s failing health and advanced age gave Sukhbir Badal the centre stage in Punjab politics. However, he couldn’t handle the responsibility and aphorisms like udta Punjab (a reference to the drug menace in the state) gained currency during his tenure. The Akali rule was beset by issues like clashes with the clergy and incidents of sacrilege eroded the party’s political capital. Sukhbir Badal even failed to pacify the jathedars (Sikh clergy). He accepted the charges of sacrilege and last week, he was serving his punishment term when the assailant attacked him, thinking the wheelchair-bound big-built Sukhbir Badal would be an easy target.

However, in such a charged atmosphere how will Punjab politics unfold? In this scenario, CM Bhagwant Mann’s role becomes crucial. He has to maintain the fine balance that his predecessors have so skilfully done. However, his abilities are under question right now.

Punjab’s turmoil requires the governments at the Centre and Chandigarh to initiate joint actions so that the ghosts of the past remain firmly buried where they belong — in the past.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal

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